


inanimate (on standby)

by tellmewhatyousee



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bittersweet, Coma, Doctor Trafalgar D. Water Law, Established Relationship, M/M, Referenced Car Accident, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 10:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29873445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellmewhatyousee/pseuds/tellmewhatyousee
Summary: Cora sleeps. Law waits.
Relationships: Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	inanimate (on standby)

**Author's Note:**

> this was for a trope bingo card, all based on "there was only one bed" prompts. you can find it [here!](https://tellmewhatyouc.tumblr.com/post/644673104818421760)

Law hadn’t left the hospital in three days, and he hadn’t slept in two.

He didn’t spend all that time _working,_ of course. There were regulations in place to prevent that, and one of his superiors would surely have his head if he worked more than 80 hours in a single week (again). But even when he was technically off work, he just couldn’t bring himself to go home.

What if something happened to Cora, and Law wasn’t there for him?

Cora had been admitted on Monday morning after a hit-and-run left him nearly dead. Law had brought him in himself, straddling him on the stretcher and performing frantic chest compressions as the paramedics rushed them into the ER. He didn’t stop until one of the other doctors forcibly took over, as his technique was getting sloppy. Less than a minute later, Cora’s heart started beating again.

That evening, the doctors declared him comatose. No matter how many times Law asked to see Cora’s chart, demanded to know what medications they’d put him on, the hospital staff treated him like any other visitor. His only privilege was access to Cora’s room past the standard visiting hours. He took full advantage of that and slept in a chair beside the bed until his next shift began.

By Wednesday night, Law was really starting to feel the effects of the stress (and the sleep deprivation). Cora still hadn’t woken up, and updates from his doctors were limited to _“We’re doing everything we can”_ and _“We won’t know anything for sure until he wakes up.”_ Law knew those phrases— he’d uttered them plenty of times himself. He knew they meant any number of things.

All he could do was wait.

As soon as his shift ended, he showered and changed out of his scrubs. If anyone had any thoughts about the esteemed Dr. Trafalgar walking the hospital’s halls in a pair of pajama pants, they didn’t voice them. He made it to Cora’s room uninterrupted.

“Hello,” he greeted as he closed the door behind him. “I met some of the new interns today. I think they’re afraid of me.” He felt a little silly talking to an unconscious person, but science said there was a chance Cora could hear him. Law trusted science enough to give it a shot.

“The whole ‘Surgeon of Death’ thing really circulates quickly,” Law added as he sat down in his usual spot beside the bed. “I don’t really like it. Makes it sound like I kill people.”

While Cora could breathe independently, he was still hooked up to several machines to monitor his vitals and give him the nutrients he needed to live. Law noticed a fresh bandage on his head and wondered who had checked in on him last.

“There’s still no news on who hit you,” Law continued. “There weren’t many witnesses. And I was a little too focused on the fact that you’d stopped breathing to notice what color the car was.”

He thought Cora might chuckle at that if he could.

“I haven’t been home since you got here. I don’t think I’d be able to sleep without you.”

While he hadn’t admitted it before that, he’d known it from the start. He’d sleep eventually— no matter the circumstances, the human body found a way. If he didn’t get some rest on his own, he’d pass out in the middle of the hallway, and his superiors would scold him for overworking himself again.

He rubbed his tired eyes before he looked back at Cora. The bed definitely wasn’t built for two grown men, and Law had scolded his fair share of sad visitors who thought they could snuggle up to severely injured patients. It never ended well.

But… Law was smart. He knew Cora’s injuries were mostly on his left side. Theoretically, if he was careful about it, he could lie down without causing any harm.

He glanced back towards the door. The nurses would check in on him throughout the night, but Law was on pretty good terms with a lot of them. They’d probably have the decency to leave him alone.

Law stood from the chair and stepped closer to the bed. He looked Cora up and down before he climbed in beside him, moving as slowly as possible. He listened to the sounds of the monitors for any obvious signs that he’d fucked something up, but Cora’s heart and breathing rates remained the same.

Once he’d settled in, Law pulled up the guard rail to keep himself from falling off the bed. It was a bit of a tight fit between the hard plastic and Cora’s body, but he didn’t care. For the first time that week, he felt... secure.

**Author's Note:**

> perhaps i will write a continuation of this eventually, but for now, take This


End file.
